


Benign

by bitacrytic



Series: abc sterek [2]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Secrets, big brother (AU)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-11
Updated: 2017-08-19
Packaged: 2018-12-13 21:52:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11769114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bitacrytic/pseuds/bitacrytic
Summary: Five times Sterek was lurking in the background of the Big Brother House and the one time it was important enough to be put in focus.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So much Big Brother gist on Tumblr that I had to go look for a complete season to binge-watch and I found Season 15/US. I’m loving it and it’s inspired this so I hope you like it too :)
> 
> By the way:  
> HOH = Head of House  
> POV = Power of Veto: The power to save someone from eviction. The person who wins POV can choose to use it by saving someone or let all the people up for eviction remain as they are

 Lydia Martin was a genius.

She’d since figured out that this was not something to share. Not everywhere, at least. She survived high school by pretending to be the vapid, social butterfly with a razor, sharp tongue while she scaled through AP classes and graduated early.

Somehow, all that wit had led her to the Big Brother House where she was, once again, forced to hide her brilliance. But this time, she could not wear the same façade she’d perfected in High School. While being brilliant and obviously calculating would bring competitive attention to her game, being bossy and loud and controlling would just bring unnecessary attention.

So she hid, forming an alliance with the remnants of the housemates, after she’d made sure that everyone else was loyal to someone else. Allison was standoffish and had come into the house hoping never to make an alliance. Every other team that had approached her, she’d rebuffed because she wasn’t going to make any friends yet. But Lydia had befriended her… bonded with her over school and clothes and normal stuff till Allison started seeking Lydia out of her own accord.

Scott was avoided by the other housemates because they’d thought he wouldn’t have anything to offer. But after the second week, when he’d dominated the POV and chosen not to use it, the other alliances had started sniffing out his butt. It was too late by then because Lydia had already struck.

Her third and last teammate was the spastic twink who always had something to say. Within two seconds of meeting him, Lydia knew he was smart. Like, school smart. VERY. But that was about it. He had no idea how to read social cues and he always had weird stories to tell about circumcision and hymens and several medically private stuff that just made other housemates not want to be around him.

Lydia made it work. Without being overtly powerful, she had managed to keep all four of them safe because the other two groups were so busy tearing each other apart.

But now, they were coming for them. She could feel it. With Scott winning HOH the week before and Allison winning POV, the other housemates were starting to see them as a threat. And Lydia needed to do something about that. Not for her sake. She wasn’t much of a threat. Neither was Stiles. But Scott and Allison? They were targets, No. 1 and 2.

It was just too bad Derek Hale was HOH that week. For all Lydia’s charm, she’d never been able to get him to see her side. When she’d gone up to talk to him, he’d agreed with everything she’d said but she could tell. She could see it in his eyes. When the time came, he was going to destroy Lydia’s alliance.

By the time the tags got pulled out and only two more were left, with Lydia, Stiles, Scott and Greenberg still tagless, Lydia just knew whose name wasn’t among the two. When her name got pulled out, she stood stiffly and took the tag and hung it over her neck.

“Thank you Derek.” She parroted, placing her hand on the last tag and pulling it out. “Scott?” She read out in surprise. “Scott.” She said, handing the tag to Scott as he sat back beside Stiles.

What the hell was going on?

She could understand Greenberg being nominated to leave because he was the last person left in his alliance and his alliance had given Derek’s alliance a lot of problems. But Stiles? Looking anxious and uncomfortable, Stiles bounced his leg up and down and nodded as if he was accepting defeat.

“I have nominated you, Greenberg and you, Stiles for eviction.” Derek said.

For all her genius, Lydia couldn’t understand how this was a sensible move. At all!

**_____**

Matt needed Stiles to leave the house.

His alliance had already agreed that they wanted Scott McCall gone first. With the other real rivals gone, Scott was now the strongest member. Once he was gone then they could focus on Allison. But Matt had managed to convince them that Stiles was worth the trouble too. He was smart. He had a lot of information. And there had to be a reason two very strong players were paying attention to him.

Matt refused to mention that Stiles was, at best, a mediocre player. He’d sailed through six weeks without winning one single game and was only still around because no one saw him as a threat. The only game he’d come close to winning, Lydia Martin had won. But seeing as that was the only time Stiles had look confusingly insulted and intrigued, Matt had understood that Stiles knew he had close to no physical strength and had hoped he’d at least win at mind/brilliance games.

And yet, something about him just rubbed Matt the wrong way. He seemed very weird and the way he seemed to drift in and out of conversation mostly just made Matt want to bash his head into a wall several times a day. But he couldn’t do that. They were on TV and people would _freaking_ see.

Scott was also a target too. For Matt’s alliance, Scott was a threat to their game. For Matt? Scott was always around Allison and there was even talk of some showmance. Matt couldn’t abide that nonsense. Not when he knew the countless fantasies he had, just waiting to play out the moment Scott was gone.

But he had to wait. Because Stiles was the target this week.

He’d been afraid he wouldn’t be able to get Derek to put Stiles up because he’d been noticing a little flirting going on between them. Although, from Stiles point of view, it was probably nothing because the boy was completely dumb when it came to understanding the social world so Derek might as well be flirting with  a lamp post as far as Stiles was concerned. So Matt had been a little worried that Derek’s loyalties might be shifting.

It was not. Derek was a monster and while he smiled and seemed to act nice, he was here to win. Appealing to his competitive side hadn’t taken much and surely, Stiles was put on the chopping block. They’d refrained from putting Scott so that they could backdoor him instead. Because if Scott played for POV, chances were that he’d win and take himself off.

With that securely in place, Matt had gone to work. He had dirt on people in the house and he was willing to use it. Greenberg was lonely and only too pleased to learn that he’d be saved so he agreed to vote for Stiles. Isaac and Erica’s weird thing in the shower one morning came in handy in reminding them that Boyd could cause both of them a lot of damage if he found out that Erica had cheated on him.

And with four votes secured out of the seven people who could vote, Matt was ready to roll.

Derek, Stiles and Greenberg were up for the POV game but Matt, Erica and Boyd got picked to join. So their alliance agreed that Derek should win, which meant Erica, Boyd and Matt put all their effort into getting Derek that POV because they all had the same goal (sort of).

When Derek won and he was standing there holding the medallion in his hand, Matt couldn’t help the look of joy on his face when he looked over at Lydia, Allison and Scott and saw total defeat on their faces.

**_____**

“Matt needs to go.” Erica said, seconds after she’d pulled Derek into the store room, her voice down to whisper.

“What?” Derek asked, looking confused. “He’s on our side.”

“No, he’s not.”

“Erica-”

“He wants Stiles evicted.”

“He wants Scott evicted. We discussed this.”

“No. He wants Stiles gone this week. He’s been campaigning on the side to get enough votes to keep Scott for now and send Stiles home.”

Erica tried not to flinch as Derek looked down at her in disappointment.

“How do you know this, Erica?” He asked. “What have you guys been doing behind my back?”

“Nothing. Nothing! I swear. He just came up to me and said he’d tell on me if I didn’t vote for Stiles.”

“Stiles was _not_ the target.”

“He is now.” Erica whispered. “And Matt is willing to play dirty to get it. But he won’t come near you because he still thinks there’s something between you and Stiles.”

“There’s nothing between me and Stiles.”

“Aren’t you listening?” Erica asked, her voice raising just a little as she looks over Derek’s shoulders at the door in a panic. “I’m not after Stiles either. I want Matt gone.”

“Why?”

Erica swallowed a huge amount of saliva as she looked up into her HOH’s face. She couldn’t talk to him about what she and Isaac had done. At the time, she’d been pissed at Boyd and Isaac was drunk out of his mind, so she’d followed him into the shower and sucked him off till Isaac was crying in ecstasy above her. But that was it. She’d regretted it in the morning, Boyd had apologized and Isaac had stopped initiating any sort of contact with Erica, completely.

For Matt to bring that up and use it against her, Erica knew she’d always be in his dept. She had to get rid of him and the only way to do it was to have Derek do it.

“You don’t need to know why.”

Derek regarded her for a few seconds, before he turned and left the store room without any sort of closure or certainty.

Which meant that Erica had to spend the rest of the day biting her nail and freaking out. If Matt didn’t leave this week, that blowjob would come up again. If Derek told Matt what Erica had just told him, then he would explode and Boyd would find out. And then Erica would have both Matt and Boyd out to get her. Right along Lydia and her gang of misfits.

That evening, as they sat around, watching Derek wield the medallion of the POV, Erica couldn’t sit still. Even after Boyd noticed her discomfort and pulled her hands into his lap and began caressing the back of her hands the way liked it, she couldn’t concentrate. Everything just felt so heavy and blurry and heavy.

“This is the Veto Meeting.” Derek began. “Greenberg and Stiles have each been nominated for eviction. But I have the power to veto one of my nominations. I have decided to use the power of veto to remove Greenberg from nomination.”

Erica turned her hand over and gripped Boyd’s as she sat there. On the other side of the room, Allison was already shaking her head and patting Scott on the shoulder but Erica couldn’t be bothered with them much.

Not until Derek said:

“I nominate Matt to take Greenberg’s place on the couch please.”

Stunned and unable to understand the wave of joy coursing through her veins, Erica just sat there and allowed Boyd to continue to sooth away her anxiety.

**_____**

Greenberg was walking on sunshine.

One more week. He’d been freed to last one more week, which meant that it was time to start looking into a second alliance. But with the bonds so strong between the only two alliances, he knew he was going to have to come up with some pretty creative ideas if he was going to get people on his side. So he went in search of food. Food always helped him think.

But Derek and Matt were in the kitchen.

“…why you would put me up.”

“It’s part of my plan.” Derek said, face buried in the fridge.

“Scott was supposed to be up. The whole point was to backdoor him.”

Derek closed the fridge and looked down at Matt.

“I want Stiles gone now.” Derek told him. Greenberg sat at the island and pulled the bowl of fruit closer to himself.

“Are you sure?” Matt asked.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“No harm would have been done if you’d nominated Scott.”

Derek sighed in frustration and walked passed Matt, heading for the stairs up to his room.

“If you don’t trust me, Matt, then that’s your business but I’m tired of talking about this anymore.”

As Derek’s legs disappeared up the stairs, Matt continued to watch with a far off look on his face… like he was planning and plotting something serious.

“He’s trying to double-cross me.” Matt stated to Greenberg. “Why, though?”

Greenberg continued to chew, suspecting that Matt wasn’t looking for any answer Greenberg had to give. Not that he had any to begin with.

“And now, with me on the block, we don’t have four votes to get Stilinski the fuck out of here.” As he said that, his eyes finally slid over and landed squarely on Greenburg. “You’re still going to vote for Stiles, right?”

“Of course.” Greenberg said without hesitation. Granted, now that Greenberg wasn’t on the block, he was not above keeping his options open if someone else approached him. But he wasn’t going to tell Matt that. The guy cared Greenberg like nothing ever could. In creepy, injury-inflicting-prank ways.

“I have to go check on Isaac and Erica but I’ll still need one more vote.”

Just then, Boyd walked through the sitting room, wiping down from an early morning workout.

“I’ll be back in a second.” Matt said as he followed Boyd into the bed rooms. But Greenberg was not about to sit down and wait for the psycho to return. The moment Matt was away, he delved into the fridge, got himself come snacks to go with his fruit and made sure he was nowhere near the kitchen when Matt decided to return.

**_____**

Allison didn’t even think too much about it when she cast Matt as her vote.

He was leery and he liked to pick fights with Scott and just plain pick on Stiles every chance he got. Plus, there was no way she was going to vote for Stiles. Ergo… the wicked wizard had to go. But she still held her heart in her hand for this one. Because she was sure only of three votes and there were four other people eligible to vote. And three of them were securely on Matt’s side.

Well, not so securely if Derek had put him up so Allison was a little hopeful.

While they all sat in the sitting room and waited for Julie to come on, Allison held Scott’s hand in one of hers while she patted Stiles on the knee to keep him from bouncing it up and down and freaking out like he was doing. She’d come to know that while he could talk circles round anyone when he was nervous, a true sign of a freak out was when his mouth was in too much shock to actually be useful. So continued to pat him through his shaking and still moments, hoping to offer him some comfort.

“It still doesn’t make sense.” Matt said out to the house. “The plan was for McCall-”

“Not right now, Matt.” Derek said.

“Why?” Matt asked. “Everyone is in one of the two alliances in the house… well except Greenberg and nobody wants him on their team. So why change your choice if Stiles was the new target?”

“I was trying to make the show interesting.” Derek said, wiping his hands over his eyes like a frustrated parent.

“If you’ve voted me out, Derek, at least do me the courtesy of being truthful.”

No one answered at this point, choosing to sit still and pray that they could brave whatever shit storm was on the way.

But no shit storm came. Matt just sat there, looking at Derek with his eyes narrowed and hi brows pulled together in stern concentration while Derek lay back on the couch, closed his eyes and ignored everything.

Then the screen came on and Julie was looking back at them.

“Houseguests! All the votes are in.” She said. “When I reveal the vote, the evicted houseguest would have just a few moments to say his goodbyes, gather his things and leave the Big Brother House.” She paused. “By a vote of seven to zero, Matt, you are evicted from the Big Brother House.”

Matt nodded and got to his feet as the members of his alliance stood as well with varied looks of guilt and something that looked oddly like relief.

“No hugs for me.” Matt said, moving to his bags. “But before I go, hear this: Boyd, Erica gave Isaac a blow job in the shower. Erica, Boyd fucked you one night while you were asleep. Everyone, whatever belonging you’ve been missing, Greenberg took it because he likes to wear our stuff at night and walk around the house… good luck explaining that America once you get out of here. Derek, you might want to watch out for Lydia because she’s the reason all of Greenberg’s alliance is gone. And Allison,” Matt said, looking right at her as she felt her heart freeze at the attention. “Scott McCall is a married man.”

As Allison’s world imploded in on her, she heard the faint click of the door slip shut just after the cheers and applause of the audience outside welcomed Matt Daehler to his exit from the house.

**_____**

That night, after a new HOH had been crowned, Derek slid between Stiles’ sheets and cuddled up to him from behind, dragging the leaner man closer as Stiles wiggled back and settled.

“How are you doing?” Derek whispered into his ears.

“Fine.” Stiles said, turning around. “Matt’s gone.” Stiles kissed Derek. “That’s all that matters right now.

**SEVEN DAYS AGO**

“Matt wants me out, Der.” Stiles had said, sitting between Derek’s legs and cuddled up against the door to block any intruders from coming in as they whispered to each other. “He needs to go.”

“Scott is the target this week. My people already agreed.”

“I heard him talking to Isaac. He thinks you might have feelings for me.”

“He’s right.” Derek said, kissing Stiles on the back of his neck as Stiles giggled and turned around to offer Derek his lips.

“When he suggests that you nominate me as a pawn, do it.”

“What?” Derek asked in shock. “No way.”

“Just do it. I won’t go home. You said your people want Scott.”

“Yeah, but what if he manages to bully enough votes to evict you?”

Stiles sat there, mulling it over till the answer came to him.

“Maybe he can bully Isaac or Boyd or even Greenberg… but I doubt he’ll bully Erica successfully.”

“What are you thinking?” Derek asked, spreading Stiles’ legs and closing his so that Stiles could straddle him.

“I’m thinking I saw something in the shower that could be very useful to Matt right about now.”

**PRESENT DAY**

Derek wrapped his hand around stiles, rolling them over till he was spread across his boyfriend.

“This is only going to get harder.” Derek said between kisses.

“Yeah, as long as I get to kiss you every day, I’m good.” Stiles said, still kissing.

“They’re going to figure out that this was all you, you know.”

Stiles laughed into Derek’s mouth.

“Not if I can convince Lydia that this was her idea all along.” Stiles said. “Everyone thinks she’s been controlling everything else…why not this?”

Derek stared, lost in Stiles eyes for a few seconds, but then he delved in again, sucking on Stiles’ lips and knowing that he’d never want to stop. Not when he was so, deeply in love with him and the two of them could go on till the end.

Till they were the very last two.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five times the housemate saw the true Stiles...

Stiles won Big Brother.

Derek already knew that was going to happen by the time Stiles made it passed the final four. Out of all the other housemates, Stiles was a master strategist and while most of them owed their eviction to Stiles, Derek had never met someone who could cloud people’s judgment so much while appearing completely harmless. He’d seen Stiles put on the clown façade, the sensitive, the gullible, the believable, the HOH struggling to please everyone, the physically unfit, the brilliant, the naïve, even the stupid. Considering how brilliant he knew Stiles was, Derek never thought he’d see the day that other people believed Stiles was a dunce.

And yet it had happened.

The last two housemates got dressed separately, as Derek shook his head and psyched himself into not freaking out or crying because he was so sure that Stiles was going to win that he knew that that didn’t happen and Derek won, he’d cry. And he didn’t want to cry. Not on national TV.

But even if he won, Derek was going to go look for Stiles. He was going to find him and tell him he was the love of Derek’s life and he’d never intended to start a showmance, much less take one all the way to the final two. He was going to proclaim his love where there were no cameras and he was going to make sure the spastic, bright eyed beauty knew that he was all Derek could think about.

That was, until Derek stepped out into the living room, with Julie calling on them from the stage outside and then he watched Stiles’ room door open and the man before him… looked nothing like the Stiles that Derek had grown to love.

This man wasn’t shaky or geeky, this man didn’t look like his mind was ten thousand miles away. This man stood tall to his full height, this man had on a tight T-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. This man had his cap on, backwards. When this man looked at Derek, he didn’t look confused or lacking in focus. There was absolutely nothing vulnerable about him.

Right then and there, it suddenly occurred to Derek, that maybe Stiles had spent the last ninety days playing all the housemates. But he’d also spent that time playing Derek as well.

_____

**THREE WEEKS AGO**

**WEEK TEN**

Lydia lasted till Top Five.

The crowd cheered the moment Lydia stepped out of the house and unto the stage with a smile on her face. She waved and laughed and ate up all the attention as he she made her way to the seat placed beside Julie, right in the centre of the stage.

“Oh, what a journey.” Julie commented.

“What a journey, indeed, Julie.” Lydia agree, dropping her bag and adjusting her skirt.

“How do you feel?” Julie asked when the crowd started to quiet down.

“I feel free. Believe it or not.” She laughed.

“You do, don’t you?” Julie asked with a smile. “You looked like you knew it was your time.”

“I knew, Julie.”

“How?”

“My game plan last week?” Lydia asked. “I mean, ever since Matt left, I’ve felt as if there was a target on my back, but last week, my plan was exposed. I wanted it too much and I went too hard and everyone saw me for who I really was.”

“But it was a good plan, though.” Julie stated. “If you’d pulled it off, it could have made history.”

“I know!” Lydia exclaimed as she and Julie shared a laugh with the crowd.

“Okay, Lydia, in the event that you were the one evicted, some of your housemates taped some goodbyes. Let’s have a look.”

Even sitting there and listening to her former housemates say their goodbyes, Lydia couldn’t help thinking back to the week before. How she’d campaigned against Isaac and Erica and had tried to play them against Derek in order to show Boyd that he could come over to Lydia’s side. She could not understand what had gone wrong.

Until Stiles’ face came up on the screen.

“Hey Lydia!” He said, his voice different somehow and his posture… also different. He was still dressed the same but the boy before her held his head straight and didn’t slouch his back. But he was still Stiles. “You were my favorite lady in the house. But you were becoming too much for me. And you had to go. Your plan could have worked if you’d kept Erica out of the deal. Sorry, not sorry, for convincing you to go after Erica too.”

He smiled widely as the screen went off and Lydia sat there, trying to understand what she’d just heard. Was Stiles trying to insinuate that her plan hadn’t been hers? But more than that, did he just admit to getting her kicked out of the house?

Unable to control herself, she looked back at the door through which she’d come, wondering how she’d been played and never saw it coming.

_____

**SIX WEEKS AGO**

**WEEK EIGHT**

Erica could not believe it.

She sat in her hotel room, screening through the shots she could find in order to verify the news she’d been hearing of ever since she left the house. She wasn’t going to believe it. Not until she saw it with her own eyes.

When he finally clicked on the video she was looking for, she sat back and watched as Isaac’s head that was visible through the shower doors, banged into the wall behind him, when the boy moaned and came.

Erica didn’t have to see it because she could remember it. She may not have been looking at Isaac while she gobbled down his dick, but she wasn’t novice enough to say she didn’t know what it looked like. She didn’t need to be watching this. She didn’t need to live through this one, huge mistake that had cause the game and caused her relationship with Boyd. Not after she’d received a unanimous vote for her eviction when she’d at least hoped that Boyd wouldn’t vote her out.

Few seconds after, she saw someone walk into the bathroom and then stop. She watched in horror as Stiles turned around, shook his head and left.

But Erica still didn’t want to believe it. Stiles could not have been the only one to know about it. He couldn’t be the one who’d told Matt.

Erica knew the truth now, but it was going to take her a while to understand it. Sweet, smiling, confused Stiles was not the person who had gotten Erica kicked out of the house.

_____

**EIGHT WEEKS AGO**

**WEEK SIX**

Allison had to play this smart.

Her boyfriend had just been ousted as a married man. She couldn’t condone his actions and pretend to be careless about his wife. That could turn people against her. But at the same time, she couldn’t become stiff towards Scott. He was part of her alliance and seeing as the house was almost clearly divided into two, this was not the time to go about picking fights.

So she made a choice. She’d stop all romantic entanglements with Scott but at the same time, she’d watch him till he caught her looking. And then she’d be nice to him and treat him with respect. But every time he tried to draw near, Allison played the calmly coy card and nicely told him she couldn’t “let her heart” control her.

He’d understand that there were still feelings and she hoped he’d be okay with that. That he wouldn’t hate and come for her.

But in all her musings, Allison had quickly come to the conclusion that only one person could be behind this. She’d watched Scott bond so closely with Stiles that if he was married, only Stiles could have known. However, she was stomped, wondering how on earth Stiles had gotten around to telling Matt about it.

Deciding to play her cards wildly for once, she’d approached Stiles.

“I know what you did.” She stated.

Stiles had looked at her, confused and worried.

“Scott told you he was married.” Allison accused. “And you told, Matt. Why?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about-”

“Tell me the truth or I’ll go tell that it was you and I’ll blow your whole game wide open.”

Stiles watched her calmly for a few seconds, then he sat up, looking her in the eye.

“What do you want?”

Allison could not believe it had been that easy.

“I want your vote. I want you on my side. If I’m ever on the block, you do not vote for.”

“That’s a big ask.”

“It’s worth it. Right now, Scott and Lydia trust you. I can’t imagine they would if they knew you spilled something so big.”

“If the house is voting one way, I’m not going to vote against.”

“You need to give me something.” Allison said. Their alliance was shaky and Allison wasn’t stupid. She’d seen Stiles cozying up to Derek Hale. He may have been put on the block but someone major had to be backing him for him to survive so seamlessly.

“Top Four.” Stiles said, looking at her seriously.

“What?” Allison asked in shock.

“I can get you to top four but it’s your battle after that.”

The confidence with which he said it threw Allison. She’d heard many people make promises and make plans, but something about the difference in which this Stiles was speaking made Allison believe him. As she looked into his eyes, she nodded, vowing to make her best of the chance that she’d somehow just garnered.

“Deal.” She said, raising her hand to be shook just as Isaac walked into the room.

And right before her eyes, Stiles seemed to change. With his eyes going unfocused and his body, somehow seeming smaller, he smiled and waved at her as he left the room.

Allison wasn’t sure how to feel. Because even though she was very sure she’d just been guaranteed a trip to Top Four, she couldn’t help feeling she’d just made a deal with the devil.

_____

Boyd was still fuming in anger the morning after Matt’s eviction.

He didn’t think there was anyone he could trust. Matt was gone and even he’d been a dick who withheld info till he was out of the house. Isaac and Erica… Boyd continued to pace around the HOH room where he’d neglected to invite everyone to come see –as was the custom. He just didn’t think he could take it. And he wasn’t really in the mood to see anyone.

Until someone knocked on the door. He tried to ignore it but the door opened and Derek peeped in.

“Okay there, big guy?”

“Not really in the mood, Derek.”

“That’s fine.” Derek said, entering the room.  “I needed a moment anyway.”

He sat on the couch and then threw his legs up and made himself comfortable as Boyd watched him in anger.

“I’m going to nominate both of them.” Boyd stated. “You won’t change my mind.”

“I didn’t come here to change your mind.” Derek replied.

“Fine.” Boyd retorted, falling into his bed and sulking because he was totally pissed.

After a few minute of Derek saying nothing, Boyd hissed and faced him again.

“If you were here to talk me out, what would you say, though?” Boyd asked.

Derek opened one eye and looked at Boyd. Then he pushed his legs off the couch and sat.

“I’d say that was a stupid move.”

“I’m HOH!” Boyd reminded Derek before he said anything that would anger Boyd against him.

“Which means you should be smart. They’re both expecting you to put them up but you have other targets in the house. Skip this week and watch them begin to fall all over you. Then you’d have two stronger allies and one les person from another alliance. Think about it. We have the numbers now but Lydia’s side is weak now. The whole thing with McCall and Argent will soon tear them apart. Let’s rip it before they have time to regroup.”

Boyd considered it for a second.

“Your crush is in that alliance.” He said, referring to Stiles as Derek sighed long-sufferingly.

“He’s not my anything.” Derek said as Boyd’s hackles rose at that lie. He knew for a fact that Derek had spent eviction night in Stiles’ bed. So why was he lying now? “Do you know?” Derek said, breaking Boyd’s thoughts. “I saved his ass last night. And I still got nothing.”

Boyd paused.

“What do you mean?”

“I sent Matt home for him and I still didn’t get laid. I mean, I tried.” Derek said, blushing. “I went in his room last night. We talked… and talked and talked… but nothing.”

“Really?”

“Really!” Derek said. “If he doesn’t put out soon, I’m going to stop caring. In fact, I don’t even care right now.”

Derek lay back down on the couch and pouted as Boyd stared back at his friend who looked mightily pissed off at Stiles. If Derek was acting or pretending, he was a pretty good actor. Because Boyd could read real anger in Derek’s posture.

“So, should I put him up for eviction?” Boyd asked.

“I don’t care.” Derek said. “Just don’t put me, Isaac or Erica.” He looked at Boyd. “We’re still your team. Find some other way to punish them but not this.”

Boyd sat back, rethinking. Derek was right. Keeping Erica and Isaac would be good for his game at the moment. But he couldn’t put up Stiles. Just for Derek’s sake. Maybe Derek was pissed off now, but Stiles was his crush. Derek was Boyd’s most trusted ally at the moment. Boyd didn’t think it would be sensible to put Derek’s hopes of a possible showmance on the block and risk losing Derek’s alliance. So Stiles was off the block as well.

It wouldn’t take long before something blew up. Stiles was going to break Derek’s heart till he wanted Stiles gone or Stiles was going to cave and give in to Derek. Either way, Boyd wasn’t going to be the one to break them up.

Especially when he woke up the next morning to find Stiles peeping out from inside the house and watching Derek’s morning workout with a mug in his hand. Boyd didn’t think he knew much about love anymore. Not when Erica had broken his heart. But if he was seeing that look on Stiles’ face, Boyd couldn’t mistake it for anything else.

Boyd knew what love looked like. And Stiles was definitely in love.

_____

**PRESENT DAY**

Derek stared down at the monitor at his door.

“I know you’re in there, Der.” Stiles said, leaning into the camera. “I saw your neighbor, Mrs. Behrman and she said you’re home so open up! Please.”

Sighing in frustration, Derek buzzed him open and blinked at the man before him who just stood there, blinking at Derek like he never expected Derek to open the door.

“What do you want?”

“I wanted to see you.” Stiles said, trying to get in but Derek blocked his path.

Unable to face the embarrassment of knowing that Stiles had played him, Derek had fled the celebration and party and refused any contact with the other houseguests. His contract with Big Brother had run out and he’d been paid. If anyone wanted to see, they had to talk to his manager… who Derek had expressly told never to give anyone his address.

“My friend, Danny, found your address for me. I know that sounds stalkery-”

“Leave me alone, Stiles.”

Derek tried to close the door but Stiles pushed back, shocking Derek and stealing his chance to slip into the house.

“You have to hear me out first.” Stiles said, raising his hands in surrender. “I know why you’ve been hiding. I know you were disappointed in me but I never lied to you about anything.”

“You played the game well, Stiles. It’s fine. It’s over.”

“No, it’s not.” Stiles said, voice shaking as his eyes went watery around the edges. “I swear. I never planned for you. I didn’t.”

“I don’t have to hear this.”

“Please, Derek.” Stiles said, stepping into his path as Derek grabbed him by his jacket and slammed him into the wall. “I had a plan for me.” Stiles said quickly into Derek’s face. “Just me. I was going to go into here and win it. But then I met you.” Stiles said. “I met you and you fucked up my whole plan. I met you and I couldn’t… it took me a whole week to work you into it. My plan was for one person but when I met you, I knew it had to be for two.”

“You need to leave.” Derek grouched, releasing him.

“Please listen to me.” Stiles said, pulling Derek back.

“You’re a liar.”

“This is me, Der.”

“You played us all.”

“I played _them_. I played all of them but I never played you. This win was for us. This was for both of us.”

“That means nothing to me.”

“There’s half a million dollars in my account that means nothing to me.” Stiles said before Derek as he watched a tear fall from Stiles’ eye.

“What- you said you needed that money for your father’s debt.”

“I got other jobs, Derek. Other people were willing to have me endorse stuff. I paid off the bill and the loans. But that money was for us, remember?” Stiles said, crying now. “We said we’d use it together. No matter who won.”

“You didn’t mean any of that.”

“I MEANT ALL OF IT!” Stiles shouted. “You mean everything. And I know I won, but it means nothing without you.”

“I don’t care about the money, Stiles.”

“Yeah, well, neither do I.” He replied, staring back at Derek and looking lost and worried that Derek would throw him out again.

“I want to trust you.”

“You don’t… you don’t have to trust me now.” Stiles said. “Just give me a chance. I swear I’ll make it up to you.”

And there he was. The boy Derek had fallen in love with. The one who had delivered on every promise he’d ever made to Derek in the house in front of millions of people. Here he was, making the same promises in private. Away from recording eyes. Just the two of them.

There was no way he could resist that.

He kicked the door shut, sealing the rest of the world away. This was just for the two of them. Derek and Stiles. No one else. It was the best feeling to understand that Stiles had managed to fool every one.

But he'd never fooled Derek.


End file.
